


call of the void

by ineffablenerd



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Cel ships it, Gen, Mentions of canon violence, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:35:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26947564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ineffablenerd/pseuds/ineffablenerd
Summary: Cel takes a walk around the ship at night. They're not the only one that's awake.
Relationships: Celiquillithon "Cel" Sidebottom & Oscar Wilde, Zolf Smith/Oscar Wilde
Comments: 4
Kudos: 40





	call of the void

It's night on the _vengeance_. The night crew is at their posts but everyone else is asleep.

Well, when you say everyone... Cel is still tinkering with the engine. It's running completely fine, better than fine actually. It's a great engine, a good piece of enginieering, and it doesn't explode or anything. There's even failsafes that keep it from exploding in some cases where other engines might explode, it's really quite intresting if you think about it because what is an engine other than a small explosion one keeps from becoming a big explosion it's all very philosophical really.

They remember that Jasper isn't here to hear them ramble. Neither are any of the Kobolds.

They sigh. Jaspers voice is in their head: "Time for some air and some sleep. You're an engine too and it needs maintenance." They hope he's ok out there. Now that Shoin's gone. He'll be fine, he was always very capable.

Cel stretches out, their fingertips brushing the top of the engine room, then climbs up on the deck. The night is eerily silent, the only noises are the creak of the ship, and the air currants around them. They're too far up for any ground noises to come up, and there's nothing else in the air with them.

They take a look around before beginning a practiced round around the decks. Zolf is at the helm, looking stern as stone at the horizon. That dwarf needs to relax a little. They leave him alone. They know how sailors are with their ships, it's like meditation to them and they don't want to intrude.

A bit farther down their route, Oscar Wilde is leaning on the railing, staring out into the sea of darkness that is the open air. He looks troubled Cel decides and pauses, not knowing if they should start a conversation or let him be. They haven't talked that much. Cel's curiosity wins over and they join him, looking down into the night.

"View is quite something huh. Well not at this hour, but it feels like its still there doesn't it. The entire world. But it's also gone. Out of sight out of mind." Oscar looks at them from the corner of his eyes.

"Has never worked for me. Out of sight out of mind. The other way around really." He steals a look back towards the helm. Cel has a flash of intuition.

"So Zolf huh." Wilde glances back at the helm again. He takes a deep breath before he answers.

"Everyone out on missions while I was uselessly stuck back at the inn actually." his knuckles turn white where they grasp the railing.

"Yeah. I get that. But Zolf more than the others." They turn their eyes from the darkness to the man next to them. "I'm not extremely wise Mr. Wilde but I'm 97 years old. And I'm not blind."

Wilde gives a sad chuckle "That obvious is it?"

"Not really, I don't think. I'm not gonna speak for the rest of the crew, but if you've been there, you see it."

"Been where?"

"Unwillingly in love. Somewhere with someone, where you can't do anything about it because of some stupid reason."

"What if the reasons aren't stupid."

"The reasons are always stupid. In hindsight at least. But there's nothing you can do about them either way."

Cel sighs. There have been a lot of stupid reasons in their lives. None of them had been stupid at the time.

Oscar is openly watching Zolf back at the helm now. The pain in his eyes is something Cel has been familiar with in the past. They put a hand on his shoulder, it's meant to be comforting but they don't know if it works. They're horrible at this.

"Well, mission comes first. always." Oscar abruptly turns back to void. Cel's hand falls of his shoulder. They don't try to put it back.

"Is that really your best reason? The world is gone to shit and that's why I don't deserve love? That's not even a good stupid reason." they hate it when they can see a simpler, more efficient solution to a problem but people just don't want it. "Monogamy. That's a good stupid reason. Can't do anything about that, when you don't want to take them from the one they already love but they can't see that that doesn't have to be all of it. Unrequited feelings: another really good stupid reason. You can't make people feel what you want them too. Well you can in some cases but that's deeply unethical and makes you an incredibly horrible person. 'I don't have time for this right now' is not a good reason."

"I can't compromise my objectivity for this." Oscar talks at the void. "Nevermind that your _good_ stupid reasons probably apply as well."

"Buddy your objectivity is long gone. You're staring longingly into the void at night I think that ship has sailed."

"It isn't as simple as that."

"Isn't it?"

"Zolf Smith very firmly dislikes me."

Cel breaks out into laughter. So loudly, that Zolf back at the helm turns around to find the sudden noise. Oscar clamps a hand over their mouth to silence them.

"There's nothing funny about this." he hisses into their ear.

They carefully pick Oscar's hand from their face but keep hold of it.

"I'm sorry, you're just very very wrong." Oscar tries to pull his hand away from them but they don't let him.

"Listen, I know that I haven't known either of you for a very long time, but... you guys need to sort yourselves out. Half of Zolf's time in Shoin's place wasn't spent worrying about our approach or that we might all drown or that he got struck by lightning twice or skewered or absorbed by some Goolem. It was spent worrying about _you_ having to deal with all of this alone if we all die. That's not the kind of worry someone has for a man they don't like."

They let go of Wilde's hand. It just falls to his side.

"And anyways, when I mentioned that you were pretty when we were in quarantine he got very possessive. Make of that what you will. Good Night."

And they leave the perplexed Wilde behind. What an efficient and accomplished walk.

**Author's Note:**

> Now Cel just needs to get their foot in the door for that sweet sweet polyamory.


End file.
